A lot of people thought, including myself, that getting married is just easy as wearing that white dress and saying I do. But what happens IRL is way more stressful and complicated. No wonder there are bridezillas and all those stuff and probably one of the reasons a lot of people don’t want to get married anymore these days.
There’s a lot more challenges when marrying a foreigner though.
TONS of paperwork before and after you say “I DO !” is involved before actually making everything legal and call yourselves MRS….
If you have plans right now or are in the process of having your dream wedding like we had let me help you through the entire process. It’s not romantic but it is important so here it is….
1. The Documentary Requirements: AKA the Stuff No One Tells You About
What's Inside
So, before you can walk down that aisle (or the beach), there’s some serious paperwork to handle. Don’t sleep on this part—it’s basically the foundation of your wedding day. Here’s your checklist:
What You’ll Actually Need (a.k.a. the Essentials Checklist):
1. The Basics:
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PSA Birth Certificates – You’ll need certified copies for both you and your fiancé. No shortcuts here—make sure they’re legit and updated.
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CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) – Basically proof that you’re legally single. I know, it sounds like common sense, but yes, this piece of paper is mandatory.
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Valid IDs – At least one valid government-issued ID. Just double-check that it’s not expired. I almost missed that detail—don’t be me.
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Marriage License – You can get this from your local civil registrar. It’s only valid for 120 days, so don’t apply too early, but also don’t put it off until the last minute. Timing really is everything here.
2. If You’re Marrying a Foreigner (like I did):
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Affidavit of Legal Capacity to Marry – Your partner will need this to prove they’re legally allowed to get married. It’s required and, yes, it’s serious business.
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Passport and Visa Copies – These need to be clear, complete, and valid. Make sure nothing is missing—especially entry stamps.
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Supporting Documents from Their Home Country – This depends on where they’re from, but it might include a birth certificate, divorce papers, or other legal records if they’ve been previously married.
Also, just a heads-up: the processing time for some of these documents can really test your patience. Some take days, others might stretch into weeks. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s this—start early and don’t assume everything will be ready on your ideal timeline. Trust me, you don’t want the extra stress right before the big day.
But WAIT, there’s more.
Just when you thought you were done with everything after marrying a foreigner and the wedding ceremony, guess what? There’s still more ahead—the big post-wedding shift: What actually changes?
Alright, so after you say “I do,” things will start to change in certain parts of your life (hello, shared bank accounts?), but a lot will stay exactly the same. Like, let’s be honest, your relationship will still revolve around Netflix binges and deciding what to eat for dinner. But here’s one thing that might actually shift: your last name.
2) Changing Your Last Name:
For all the ladies out there, if or when you decide to take his last name (no pressure, it’s totally up to you—it’s 2024, after all), here’s where it gets a little… tedious. You’ll need to update it pretty much everywhere:
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SSS (Social Security System)
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BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue)
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PhilHealth
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Driver’s License
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Passport
So, yeah, get ready to make some trips to government offices and fill out forms all over the place. It’s a bit of a pain, but if you want that official name change, it has to be be done.
And the clincher? Before you can do all the changing of your last name documents, you need to have your PSA issued Marriage Certificate, and depending where you got married, or marrying a foreigner, it will take a few weeks or months, you can always check on your Civil Registrar Office for update.
Marrying a Foreigner? Here’s Your Cheat Sheet
First off, congrats on your international love story! But before you get lost in the wedding bliss, there’s a bit more paperwork to handle:
Report of Marriage (ROM): If you’re marrying a foreigner here in the Philippines, you’ll need to file a Report of Marriage with their embassy. If you got married abroad or online, you’ll have to file the Report of Marriage at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) here. It can take about 6 months for that to be reflected in the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), so you’ll need to wait a bit before you can get your official Marriage Certificate. This is important if you plan to change your surname or update your marital status.
Residency and Citizenship: Depending on whether you’re staying here or moving abroad after the wedding, you’ll likely need to deal with residency permits, visas, or even dual citizenship. It sounds like a lot, but don’t worry—it’s totally manageable.
Now, if you married a foreigner you have to do the ROM or you won’t be able to get a PSA issued Marriage Certificate which proves your marriage is legal and you can do all the paperwork with a breeze.
3. Report of Marriage Requirements
For those marrying a foreigner here in the Philippines or abroad, you need to secure the following and submit to the DFA Consular Office applicable to you. You can email oca.crd@dfa.gov.ph which is appropriate for you. It will take time for them to reply . I waited 3 months to get a reply where I should submit mine.
First you need to fill out a Report of Marriage form (download here) and then have it notarized 5 copies and email the scanned copy to the email above. On the said email attach your birth certificates and passport both you and your partner (hubby and wife).
After you send the email, patiently wait for up to 3 months at least and they will tell you the next steps or what documents you need to submit. But for a heads up, you can prepare the following :
- Five (5) Original Notarized Report of Marriage Form (ROM Form Rev. 01 24 April 2018), kindly click here to access the fillable form. Please make the necessary changes or corrections to the Report of Marriage forms and enter all information in UPPERCASE/CAPITAL letters:
*For item no. 8, please type/enter “N/A” for both parties, this item is intended only for Naturalized Filipino citizens (i.e., a foreign national who was naturalized as a citizen of the Philippines);
*For item no. 11, please enter/type the complete place of marriage, to read as “Utah, U.S.A.”;
*For item no. 20, please have the husband and wife affix their signature over their printed names. Kindly note that the notary public’s notarial seal and stamp should only be affixed on the provided space in the said item. Item no. 22 is for the Philippine Embassy/Consulate’s official use only, please leave it blank. Kindly click here to view the sample. - Marriage Certificate of the Parties. For marriage certificates not in the English language, kindly submit an official English translation;
- For marriages that were Solemnized Online, it is required that you submit a Duly Authenticated/Apostilled Marriage Certificate and a Notarized Affidavit of Explanation detailing the facts why you had an online wedding, please click here to access the template;
- Husband’s US Passport valid at the time of marriage;
- Husband’s Current/Valid US passport;
- Five (5) Recent 2×2 Size Photos of both Parties, kindly write the full name of the party/person at the back of each photo;
- PSA-issued Negative Certification of Marriage Record of the Parties that bears a Quick Response (QR) Code [CRS Form No. 3]. This document may be obtained from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) under the category of a “Marriage Certificate”, please click here to view the sample;
- Husband’s Foreign Divorce Decree/Decision;
For Filipino marrying a foreigner It’ll take a few months for your Report of Marriage to be finalized, but you’ll get an email once it’s been processed. Until then, technically, you can still say you’re not married in the Philippines since the papers aren’t official yet. But if you’re married to an American, you’re good to go the moment you sign that marriage license and receive your marriage certificate—it’s all set.
